Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Human Snowplow

This morning, my son and i set out to clear the sidewalks from our house to Fenton St. Unfortunately, the new sidewalks on either side of Woodbury run along the side of two properties, not the front. So, these property owners are not required by law to shovel their walks.

This stretch includes about 80 ft. of sidewalk and two intersection ramps. This was entirely covered by snow and ice plowed from the road surface. In particular, the intersection was three feet thick with hard ice plowed from the street.

We got as far as we could, but when we reached the Berg at Woodbury, we were forced to admit that this was more than the two of us could handle. I called Rich Romer in Councilmember Ervin’s office and asked what I should do. He said he would check into this and call me back. I told him I would put some photos up for him here.

Later, Rich called and told me that he had talked with Volunteer Services – as instructed by the County’s website – and was told that they no longer coordinate snow removal with the Fire Department( I was not aware that the Fire Department was doing this). He told me that they suggested that I call the Silver Spring Fire Department directly. I told Rich that I really didn’t feel comfortable doing that – especially considering the size of the job.

I sent an email to Mel Tull at the Silver Spring Regional Services Center to ask if the “Red Shirts" could go 80-feet down Sligo with some equipment to get this stretch open. Otherwise, you can't get there from here - at least, not without walking in the street.